Goodbye
by The Black Gryphon
Summary: Misao says goodbye [important goodbye announcement included. Please read]


Misao lay on her side, counting the seconds that ticked by in her head. The sounds of the sleeping occupants rang through the Aoiya, but Misao dared not make a move just yet. She knew that Aoshi had only fallen asleep half an hour ago, and if she tried to leave now, he would awaken and stop her. Minutes ticked by and she heard his soft breathing from the other side of the thin paper wall.  
'It's time...' She thought before silently getting out of the bed and out of her yukata. Her hands shakily opened a package which lay on the floor next to her. Soft silk ran through her fingers and she rubbed her cheek against the cloth. Though she couldn't see color of the shirt in the darkness, she new it was stark white. The pants were a rich blue, the leather shoes a black. A roll of bandages fell on the floor, the soft thud sounding like a thunderclap to Misao. Frozen, she strained her ears to hear the awakening noises of anyone. When no one woke up, she refrained from sighing in relief and began to bind her chest tightly. Wincing as she found it hard to breath, she picked up the pants and slipped them on, fumbling with the buttons, but managing to get them on without much trouble. Picking up the shirt, she paused. 'A new page...' she though. Her head turned to the now folded uniform which lay by the head of her futon. She brushed her fingers against the rough silk, eyes filling with tears. 'A new page... A new life...' She choked back a sob before putting on the white shirt, remembering to tuck the ends into her pants. Slipping on the socks and the shoes, she looked into the hand mirror. Something was out of place...   
She froze as she heard Aoshi turn and shift. Barely even breathing, she only relaxed when she heard his soft breathing again before reaching for a knife. Weighing it in her hand, she shut her eyes tightly as she felt the sharp edge shear off her hair, her pride and joy, her memories. Faintly, she remembered when she threw fits and hid when Okon would try to cut her hair when she was younger. What would her younger self think when she found out that her older self had cut it off? With the last strand gone, and decently trimmed, she tied the now shoulder length hair into a low ponytail. After grasping the drawstring of her bag and silently throwing it onto her shoulder, she opened the window, letting the moonlight stream in. Turning, she stared at the room she was about to leave. Her futon how folded, she had placed the Oniwabanshuu uniform on top. Her hair rested beside the futon, curled around her tobi kunai, reminding her of a snake around a bird's nest. She heard the soft breaths of the other occupants... The earth shaking snores of Kuro and Okina, the giggles which broke through Osamu's dreams. Shiro's soft breathing and Okon's snores, though she never dared to tell her that. Aoshi..... Aoshi was silent. Panicking, Misao threw herself out the window and onto the street. When her feet touched the ground, she took off. Damn her! She took too long and she had nearly blew it! Not daring to look behind her, Misao berated herself as she ran. Aoshi, who she now knew to be awake and certainly much faster then herself, could be right behind her, ready to stop her. Misao didn't know if she had the courage to try this again. It would certainly be nearly impossible because of the supposed watch on her when word got out. Skidding sharply into a side street, she saw the river and the boat waiting her. She could almost hear the soft breathing of Aoshi beside her and she leapt, straining her legs to reach the boat. Landing on her side, she felt relief fold her as she realized there was rough wood under her head. Looking up, she saw Aoshi standing by the river, his eyes as cold as ever, yet shining betrayal and sadness. Misao almost lost hold of her resolve and leapt off the boat, but steeled herself. She was no longer Misao... She didn't even know who she was anymore. Standing, she stared at Aoshi's still form and felt the warm tears roll down her face.  
"good bye....." She whispered before turning and looking around her at the old buildings which she had grown up knowing.   
"Goodbye...."  
  
Please read:  
I am sorry to say but this will be the last fanfic I will write for a good while, if not for good. I feel that no one even bothers to read my fics or that they are poor quality. I know that the lack of reader response shouldn't phase me, but I have been on FF.net for about 3 years and this could be considered as the straw that broke the camel's back. What many of you, the readers, may not know is that I put my heart into these fics, hoping that you would enjoy them and leave SOME sort of recognition that you had enjoyed it, and the reason for my leaving is obvious.   
For those of you who HAVE been reviewing, I thank you, but I am also sorry but I will not continue any of my fics which are uncompleted at this moment/for good. I will leave the fics posted of course and I will still be an active reader, and a hopefully much more considerate reviewer. If you wish to argue against my decision, feel free to leave a review or better yet, to get a much more active response, feel free to either IM me on AOL/AIM or e-mail me at ebonypheonix531@aol.com (my IM is obviously ebonypheonix531).  
And to anyone who is thinking about taking this penname, I hope that you reconsider, for I may, if I feel my courage and self-worth for writing fanfiction is high enough, will come back.  
  
~The Black Gryphon 


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